1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for storing and packaging paper and more particularly to apparatus which not only stores newspapers and the like in a neat stack but which also permits the stack to be baled without the necessity of physically moving the stack.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The current public awareness of ecological considerations has given a new impetus to the solution of an old problem, namely, the problem of suitably disposing of used reading material, such as newspapers, for example. For many years, the newspaper reader disposed of old newspapers merely by placing them with the household trash or garbage. Recently, the desirability of recycling paper products has become apparent to the general public, with the result that newspapers are now separately stored by the reader and subsequently bound into bales of managable size for sale or donation to organizations which reprocess the paper. This practice, however, has given rise to problems for the reader. For example, the reader must now provide a place in his or her home where the newspapers can be stored and when the stack of used reading material reaches a physically managable size, the stack must be tied by baling string into a bale for transportation to the paper recycling organizations.
A number of different devices have been proposed to assist the reader in disposing of unwanted newspapers and other reading material. For example, a substantially closed-sided, stackable storage container has been developed which has a number of intersecting grooves formed in the sides and bottom of the container to permit lengths of baling string to be laid in the grooves before the papers are placed in the container. This arrangement may present an unsightly appearance, however, because the baling string must be placed in the grooves before the papers are placed in the container for storage with the result that the ends of the string are left dangling until the stack of papers reaches the correct size for baling. Furthermore, after the stack of newspapers is baled, it is often difficult for the user to reach the bottom of the stack to lift it out of the container, since insufficient room may be present between the closed sides of the device and the stack of newspapers to permit insertion of human hands. In other arrangements, the bottom and sides of the paper storage container consist only of metal or plastic arms which provide only limited support for the stack. These arrangements utilize horizontal openings in the arms to permit insertion of the baling string under the stack. These devices, however, require the user to lift the stacked newspapers to move the lengths of baling string under the stack of papers to the correct locations for tying which may require substantial physical strength on the part of the user. Furthermore, since the bottom of the storage container consists only of metal or plastic arms which support the stack of papers, the corners of the stacked papers droop because no physical support is present at these points, with the result, that an unsightly appearance is presented in the home of the user. Accordingly, it is believed apparent that a need exists for newspaper storage and baling apparatus which not only stores the newspapers in a neat well-defined stack but which also permits the stacked papers to be baled without the necessity of physically lifting or moving the heavy stack of papers.